More than two million people worldwide are affected by multiple sclerosis, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

“People that don’t have to deal with it don’t understand chronic illness,” said Ann Marie Strande, who was diagnosed with MS more than five years ago. “When you are first diagnosed you feel alone and scared. I remember thinking ‘I’ll be in a wheel chair in a few years and then how will I take care of my kids?’ “

Seeing a need, Strande and fellow Rancho Cucamonga resident Kim Zolotar established the support group Moms with MS about a year ago.

“I knew there needed to be a place where moms with MS could go and be understood,” said Strande, whose first symptom was double vision. “Where we could be with those who understand how frustrating it feels when people come up to you and say, ‘You look so good – are you sure there’s something wrong with you?’ “

The group meets from noon to 2 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Rancho Cucamonga Family Resource Center, 9791 Arrow Route.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS is a chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system (the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord). It is thought to be an autoimmune disorder, meaning the immune system attacks a person’s healthy tissue.

Symptoms can include blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue, problems with memory and concentration, paralysis as well as blindness, according to the Society. The problems may be permanent or may come and go.

Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although individuals as young as 2 and as old as 75 have developed it. MS is not considered a fatal disease as the vast majority of people with it live a normal life span. But they may struggle to live as productively as they desire, often facing increasing limitations.

There is currently no cure for MS, though there are treatments and medications available to help control symptoms.

There are other support groups for MS, but Moms with MS is the only one, members say, that deals with the needs of mothers.

“I looked and looked for a support group and just found ones where the members were mostly older and just talked about which medications they were taking,” said Jihan Castellanos, who travels to the group from Arcadia. “Sometimes I can’t cook for my family or help my children with their homework and I need to ask moms who know what I’m going through, ‘How do you guys get through this?’ Coming here lets me know that I’m not alone. It helps me feel normal. “

Patty Ortin lives in Victorville and though it takes her more than an hour to get to a meeting, she tries never to miss them.

“This group is great, especially for the newly diagnosed,” Ortin said. “You get really depressed when you first hear you’ve got MS. You don’t know what that will mean for you or your family. You just know that you’ll have it forever. MS will take you if you let it. You can’t let it. “

Ortin says she first noticed something strange while bowling.

“I went to throw the ball and my hand just went numb,” she said.

Onset, severity and longevity of symptoms vary, which makes MS difficult to diagnose, according to medical professionals.

“Medication can’t cure MS, there is no cure,” Ortin said. “But it can slow down its progression. “

Sharing ideas, exchanging information, comfort, compassion and just plain venting are what the group meetings are all about.

“I remember taking my son Alex to the playground and worrying about my MS flaring up,” said Zolotar, who was diagnosed with MS in 1995. “I was always hoping, ‘Just don’t let me fall down,’ and thinking about how all the other moms in the park didn’t have to worry about that kind of stuff. “

Over time MS has weakened Zolotar’s legs. She uses a scooter to get around and drives a specially equipped van.

“I was diagnosed before I got married and had a family,” she said. “My first symptom was when I was standing in the shower and for a split second I couldn’t tell if the water hitting me was hot or cold. Another time I was standing in the kitchen and my legs felt like pins and needles and it didn’t go away for quite a while. “

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, there is no single laboratory test available to prove or rule out MS, but magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, helps in reaching a definitive diagnosis.

“MS is not the end of the world, but it is something you have to accept,” said Zolotar. “You can have MS and still have a good life – it just might be different than what you imagined. “

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